Rechargeable batteries are an important source of clean portable power in a wide variety of electrical applications, including automobiles, boats and electric vehicles. Lead-acid batteries are one form of rechargeable battery that are commonly used to start engines, propel electric vehicles, and to act as a source of back-up power when an external supply of electricity is interrupted. While not particularly energy efficient, due to the weight of lead in comparison to other metals, the technology of lead-acid batteries is mature. As a result, the batteries are cheap, reliable, and readily produced and thus, continue to constitute a substantial portion of the rechargeable batteries being produced today.
The ability of lead-acid batteries to deliver large amounts of electrical power is well known, particularly when associated with the starting and powering of motor vehicles. Because the lead-acid batteries can be depleted of power overtime, such as when they are not in use over a period of time, or when a light in a car is left on for an extended period of time, they need to be recharged and tested. A number of battery testers and chargers have thus been developed to charge and test the lead-acid battery.
Most conventional battery charger/tester are equipped to provide multiple charging rates for charging different size batteries. The multiple charging rates are achieved by varying the charging voltage at the battery terminals, generally by changing the transformer primary/secondary winding ratio. An operator manually selects the rate at which the battery should be charged and also the duration of the charge cycle if the charger is equipped with a timer function.
Many defects found in lead-acid batteries and other types of batteries are the result of poor recharging control in conventional chargers. For example, an operator may undercharge or overcharge the battery at a very high rate resulting in the deterioration of the battery. Overcharging a battery wastes energy, reduces the life of the battery, and may permanently damage the battery. Additionally, conventional battery chargers can also include testers with the appropriate gauges in order to determine the current state of charge in a battery, how long and at what rate a particular battery should be charged, whether it is safe to charge the battery, and whether the battery is capable of accepting a charge.
Once the battery charger/tester is in operation, the operator must return to check the status of the battery to ensure that the battery is charging properly. Because conventional battery requires actual visual inspection of the gauges, the operator can waste valuable time and money to inspect all the batteries that are currently being charged instead of generating money by working on other projects.
During the charging period of the battery, temperature of the battery is an indicator as to how successfully the battery is accepting the charge. Different batteries accept the charge in a number of different ways. For example, some batteries heat up beyond a normal range. Anything beyond this normal range is an indication that the battery is not accepting the charge in an efficient manner. There is a need for a battery/charge tester to include a temperature sensing device, which monitors the device throughout the entire processing charging and testing process. There is a further need to provide the collected temperature data back to the charger to enable it to adjust the charge/test rate of the battery based upon this data.
Information regarding batteries may be useful when servicing batteries and for a number of other reasons. For example, charger/tester chargers used at commercial servicing locations often encounter a wide variety of different batteries. Different batteries may require different techniques for charging or testing. For example, different charge rates, different charging times and other parameters may vary by battery. Because different batteries may require certain servicing techniques, it is useful to be able to quickly identify a certain battery so that various servicing parameters may be changed according to a specific need.
Furthermore, other types of information such as warranty information, service history and the like is desirable to be known at a service facility so that specific problems can be identified when servicing an individual unit. Warranty information such as length of warranty, and identification of individual purchaser may be useful for a variety of reasons, including how to charge a customer having their battery serviced.
As with any commercial endeavor, efficiency is important. Valuable time may be lost entering data into a battery tester/charger using cumbersome techniques. Therefore, a fast and error resistant way of entering information is desired. In addition, for future servicing, it may be desirable to record a history of service done and associated with a battery so when the battery is serviced in the future, it can be determined what work was done on the battery. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a way of quickly and efficiently summarizing work done on a battery in order to speed and improve future servicing.